A motion picture camera having a shutter opening angle control device permits fade in and fade out operations by varying the shutter opening angle so as either to increase or decrease the size of the sector opening.
In a conventional motion picture camera, fade in and fade out are made possible by controlling the shutter opening angle control device manually so as to vary the relative positions of a number of the shutter blades. Another known camera accomplishes these ends by generating driving power for a shutter opening angle control device from the motor that drives the film feed. However, in the former manual method, the operational speed of the shutter opening angle control is not constant and therefore a smooth fade in cannot be obtained. Moreover, the operator has to hold the camera with one hand and control the shutter opening angle which results in inconvenient operation and inferior pictures.
On the other hand, in the latter method, the shutter opening angle cannot be controlled when the camera is not being operated. Further, the construction as well as the operation are unavoidably complicated.
In accordance with another method, the shutter opening angle is selected in accordance with the photographing condition, for example, about 150.degree. during the daylight photography and about 220.degree. with tungsten. The operation as well as the construction becomes complicated when the above selection operation is carried out manually or by means of a conventional driving mechanism using the film feeding motor. Further, when the fade in or the fade out operation is carried out by means of a motor, the operation should be made as constant as possible.